Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: First session of 18th Lok Sabha likely to commence around June 15, Sources

Lok Jansakti Party (Ram Vilas) President and Lok Sabha MP-elect from Hajipur Bihar Chirag Paswan on Thursday said that nobody can deny that the victory of the BJP-led NDA alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election is the victory of the leadership of the Prime Minister. NDA received this thumping majority only due to him.

The ruling LDF won only one seat out of 20 in Kerala despite a very efficient campaign and fielding heavy-hitter candidates in several key constituencies. Also, unlike in 2019, there was no discernible pro-UDF wave nor a burning issue like Sabarimala, which makes the LDF rout this time something of a political conundrum.

Interestingly, after the 2019 LS poll debacle, CPM’s central committee had advised the state leadership to formulate a strategy to win over traditional Hindu vote banks.

The 2024 results in constituencies such as Alappuzha and Attingal show that the voting of a major section of Ezhava community — considered the backbone of the party — in favour of BJP affected the prospects of LDF candidates. The LDF’s vote share has dropped by just 2% — in 2019 it was 35.3% while this time it is 33.3%. As per Election Commission data, CPM vote share this time is 25.82% (51,00,964 votes) while vote share for CPI, the second biggest partner in LDF, is 6.14% (12,12,197 votes).

Soon after the battle for Beed LS constituency ended late Wednesday, the opposition NCP (SCP) candidate Bajrang Sonawane, who defeated BJP’s Pankaja Munde — sister of sitting MP Pritam Munde — by a thin margin of 6,553 votes, headed to Antarvali Sarati village in Jalna district and met Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange at 2am.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not win any seat in Uttar Pradesh, but in 16 seats, it got more votes than the winning margin of the BJP or its ally.

“Na Mathura, na Kashi, abki baar Awadhesh Pasi” (Neither Mathura nor Kashi, this time Awadhesh Pasi) — this battle cry of Samajwadi Party triumphed over BJP’s Ram temple gambit in Ayodhya, much to the embarrassment of the saffron camp.

What do an anganwadi worker, two doctors, four actors, one investment banker and three career politicians have in common? They are all women, all newly elected MPs, all from Bengal, and all from Trinamool Congress. ‘Didi’s Eleven’ have put Bengal on top of the list of states that have sent the most female representatives to the 18th Lok Sabha.

It has been a long and hard initiation into active politics for 46-year-old Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, who contested as an independent candidate and won the Faridkot parliamentary seat. Sarabjit Singh, who completed his matriculation in 1995, was elected to LS on re-emergence of Panthic politics in Punjab along with self-styled Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who is currently in jail.

The year-long ethnic conflict in the heart of India’s northeastern region, Manipur, deeply affected its multi-ethnic groups, resulting in the collective mandate of these communities going against NDA as the conflict significantly impacted their lives and changed the political dynamics in the Lok Sabha elections.

With 19 Union ministers, including at least four with cabinet rank, losing elections, there is space to accommodate new faces, although some BJP members who could not make it to the 18th Lok Sabha may return through the upper House.

In any case, there were several ministries — ranging from communications to electronics and IT, petroleum, agriculture, food and consumer affairs, textiles, steel, environment, skill development, chemicals and fertilisers, cooperation, sports and youth affairs and minority affairs — which were being handled by different ministers holding “additional charge”.

Amid elation in the Congress camp over its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, there is a growing desire in the party that Rahul Gandhi take up the post of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and lead the party from the front in Parliament.

“Success and setbacks are part of the game and if we are in politics, we should take setbacks in our stride. Small fluctuations should not deter us from continuing the good work we have done in the last 10 years,” PM Narendra Modi said at the last meeting of the Union cabinet, which recommended dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.